Alutar: The Great Demon (68 page)

“I am only an intermediary,” Zack said defensively as he moved towards the end of the couch to turn the Badger’s attention away from the rest of the room. “I neither guaranteed your completion of the contract nor General Vladin’s payment. If I felt any responsibility for either, I would not be standing here talking to you. I came to warn you that the general is getting away.”

“And you took your time in doing so,” spat the Badger as he turned to face Lord Zachary. “You could have been here hours ago.”

“I could have,” smiled the Alcean spymaster as he watched Garth and Kalina suddenly appear behind the Badger, “but then your men outside would have been more alert. Had they been more alert, they might still be alive.”

Wain’s eyes grew large with disbelief at what he was hearing. His face reddened with rage and his arm cocked to throw his knife at Zack. He never got the chance. An icy blue ball soared across the room and struck the Badger in the back. He froze instantly. Kalina moved forward, her fingers already sparking. She touched the throwing knife and then the area of the Badger brooch. Zack pried the knife from the Badger’s hands while Garth removed the brooch. Kalina then touched the Badger’s head and Garth moved to stand directly before the frozen assassin.

“I will make this brief,” Garth said. “You will tell me the name of the Badger leader and where I can find him. In return, I will allow you to swallow this brooch. If you do not comply with my demands, you will be turned over to King Samuel, who will parade you through this city and then transport you to Farmin, where King Harold will parade you through that city. You and the entire Badger organization will then be humiliated by a show trial that will become the talk of all of Zara. When we are done with you, you will rot in a dungeon while the Badgers try to kill you for ruining them. Of course, that will only result in further humiliation for the Badgers because we have a way of making sure that you don’t die.”

The Badger did not speak, and Garth smiled thinly.

“Oh,” Garth said casually. “Did I forget to mention that we already learned this information from the leader in Zinbar who arranged the contract on King Anator? Do not even think of lying to me, Wain. I am looking for verification. Unless your answers match what we already have, Kalina will probe your mind for the correct answers. I shudder to think what you might reveal under such a probe. Imagine the crimes we could publicly charge you with.”

“Issa,” spat the Badger. “Give me my brooch.”

“You only answered half of my questions,” replied Garth. “Try again.”

“I do not know where to find him,” answered the Badger. “He is more secretive than all of the other Badgers combined. The only one that I know who has ever met him is Franco.”

Garth nodded with satisfaction. He held up the brooch and placed it in the Badger’s mouth. Wain bit down hard on the brooch and died.

“An interesting technique,” mused the Alcean spymaster. “Does the information match?”

“Is the Badger dead?” retorted Garth. “Both Badger leaders agreed on both points. I think we have some work to do in Despair. We could use your help, Lord Zachary.”

The use of Zack’s Vinaforan cover name told Zack that he had a role to play in Despair. He nodded in acceptance.

“And you will have a new wife this time,” grinned Kalina.

“Now you have me intrigued,” chuckled Zack, “and honored as well. When do we leave?”

“Right after your morning meeting with King Samuel,” answered Garth. “I have been thinking about his standing with the citizens, and I think I know just how to prove his worth to those skeptics.”

* * * *

Captain Imatin ran the Resurgence onto the beach where the city of Cyranak used to exist. He braced himself at the helm for a grinding halt, but it never came. To his amazement, he watched as the ship rose up on the sand and continued westward. Seiko, the leader of the black-cloaks, stood in the bow, and the captain could hear him shouting orders. All one hundred of the mages were on deck and not a single one of them stood idle. The captain shook his head in awe as the Resurgence sailed over the desert. He was so struck by watching the impossible, that he paid no attention to the wheel. The ship started to drift towards the north, and Seiko’s head snapped around to glare at the captain. As the mage’s eyes bored straight through the captain, Seiko raised one arm and pointed at Captain Imatin. A ball of fire leaped from Seiko’s hand and screamed towards the captain. Imatin threw himself to the deck and the fiery projectile sailed over his head. Before Captain Imatin could get to his feet, Seiko was standing over him.

“The next one won’t miss,” snarled Seiko. “You will tend to steering this ship as I demand or your worthless body will be thrown overboard. I will not give you another warning.”

Captain Imatin rose and moved swiftly to the helm. He grabbed the wheel with both hands and adjusted the course to follow the mage’s instructions. Seiko stood glaring at the captain for several moments before finally turning away. As Seiko walked back towards the bow, Jong appeared at his side.

“You let his foolish actions bother you too much,” warned Jong.

“Too much?” snapped Seiko. “I already have my hands full without catering to an old fool who cannot follow simple instructions. I swear the next time he messes up, I will kill him and get one of his men to steer the ship.”

“Perhaps you should do so now,” suggested Jong. “Setting an example might be worth the small inconvenience of breaking in a new captain.”

Seiko stopped walking and looked into Jong’s eyes. He felt his anger passing and he chuckled. “It would lighten the ship a small bit,” he laughed, “but I prefer to focus on more critical things.” Turning more serious, he continued, “We cannot complete this trip with all of our mages working all of the time. We have to stabilize the Resurgence and get it to the point where half of the men are not needed to keep it going. That way we can rotate them.”

“I think the answer lies in the correct mixture of those filling the sails and those raising the bow,” suggested Jong. “If the bow is too low, we will come to a stop, but if it is too high, it will require too much effort to fill the sails. We need to find the optimum angle for the bow.”

“I agree,” nodded Seiko. “I am willing to sacrifice some speed to accomplish my goal. A couple days either way makes no difference in the grand scheme of things. The important thing to remember is our goal. We must get the demonstone to the Forest of Death. Alutar needs to be made whole.”

* * * *

Prince Midge glided down out of the sky and landed on King Arik’s shoulder. “The enemy has been sighted,” he announced.

King Arik immediately raised his hand to halt the huge army behind him. As the Red Swords and Occan lancers came to a stop, several riders gathered around the Alcean King to hear the report. King Arik nodded to the fairy prince to begin speaking.

“Two Federation armies have joined forces,” reported Prince Midge. “The 34
^th
Corps out of Farmin has joined with the 33
^rd
Corps out of Giza. The combined armies are heading this way.”

“Where are the black-cloaks?” asked Queen Tanya.

“There are eight of them,” answered the fairy prince. “They are grouped together between the two armies. The soldiers seem to give them a wide berth.”

“How long before we meet them?” asked King Arik.

“If both sides keep moving at their current pace,” frowned Prince Midge, “it should only take half a day.”

Colonel David Jaynes, leader of the Red Swords gazed skyward. “It would be nighttime before we met them,” he said.

“It won’t be until tomorrow,” retorted Baron Stikman. “Both armies would camp for the night.”

“Not if they are force marching towards Giza,” countered David Jaynes. “The Federation general will try to stretch the day by marching through dusk and dawn.”

“We are not ready for battle,” stated King Arik. “While the Federation armies might stretch their day, we will not. This army goes no farther until we select the field of battle. Tanya, send Bantam to find out where the Rangers are. They should have been here by now. Prince Midge, I want you to scout the road ahead. Do not go any farther than a couple of hours’ ride. I want you to find a section of the Coastal Highway where the ground is fairly wide. The site should also be unobstructed to the west. Look for land where the soil is not wet and the fields are not furrowed. When you find it, remain there and wait for our people to arrive. We will need to make some preparations for the battle tomorrow.”

Both fairies immediately departed, and the queen turned to her husband with a questioning look.

“What do you have planned?” she asked.

“The Occan cavalry works best with a broad front,” explained the king. “Otherwise we will spend days pitting our vanguard against their vanguard. That is not the type of battle I want to fight.”

“I heartily agree,” declared Baron Stikman. “The wider the front, the better for us. I have to ask, though, what will you do with the Red Swords? As strong a force as they may be, they would only get in the way of our charge.”

“The Red Swords will not be in your way,” smiled King Arik. “They will be attacking the center of the column.”

“The center?” gasped Baron Stikman. “Surely, you jest?”

“That is where the battle mages will be,” nodded Queen Tanya. “It is also where I will be.”

“And the Rangers will attack the column’s rear,” added King Arik. “If they ever get here.”

“They are already here,” announced Queen Tanya as Bantam slid into her pocket. “They are behind us.” While everyone turned to look towards the rear of the column, Queen Tanya leaned closer to the king and whispered, “They did not want to expose their mounts to the Occans. Mitar was not sure if they were aware of the unicorns and their abilities.”

The king waited patiently and eventually three riders galloped forward. Colonel Mitar Vidson, leader of the Rangers, and the two red-headed mages halted near the king. King Arik gave Mitar his orders for the Rangers and then assigned Balomar to the Red Swords. He then looked at Theos.

“You have a choice to make, Theos,” smiled the king. “Where do you think your talents could best be used?”

“I will not be needed with the Red Swords,” declared Theos. “If the Occans will accept me, I would like to ride with them.”

Baron Stikman stared at the red-haired man. He noticed the lack of weapons and shrugged. “You are a mage?” he asked. Theos nodded. “We can always use a healer,” the baron continued. “You will ride with us, but do not get in the way of my lancers.”

Theos merely nodded, but Queen Tanya chuckled under her breath.

“David,” King Arik said as he regained control of the meeting, “I want your men to get into position tonight. Prince Midge will have already selected the battlefield. You will find him on the road ahead within a couple of hour’s ride. I want your men to dismantle any fences along the Coastal Highway that would restrict our movements. Do so in a manner that will not alert the Federation of our intentions.”

“Perhaps you can undermine them so that a strong wind will knock them over,” suggested the queen.

“I will remove the fences where appropriate,” David replied, “and undermine them where their absence would raise suspicions.”

“I think we now have a plan,” stated King Arik. “Baron Stikman, you should have your men make camp here for the night. Use Pinch to keep in contact with the rest of us. She will know where to find us. David, Mitar, prepare your men to move out. The earlier we start, the better our preparations will be. May we all meet again tomorrow night to celebrate our victory.”

* * * *

The sun was already climbing over the Sea of Tears when the Federation column came into view. Three thousand Red Swords sat on their Occan mounts watching the Federation column pass by. They were spread out in a long line staring down over a gently sloping hillside, but the Federation soldiers could not see them. Balomar sat alongside King Arik holding a shield over the king as well as an illusion that hid the Alcean army. Queen Tanya sat astride Frea on the other side of the king, her eyes searching the Federation column for the black-cloaks. Time slowly passed by as the sun rose higher in the sky, and the soldiers began to perspire. Eventually, Queen Tanya saw the battle mages far to the south. She stirred Bantam to life.

“Is it time?” chirped the tiny blue woman.

“It is time,” replied the queen. “Hurry to Baron Stikman and tell him to attack. Then fly directly to Mitar Vidson and alert the Rangers that the attack has begun. Be sure to alert Mitar quickly. We don’t want any of the Federation cavalry back there deciding to outflank us.”

“I shall speak to Mitar before the first Occan lance spears into the Federation soldiers,” vowed Bantam.

In a blue blur, Bantam disappeared into the sky. Queen Tanya turned to the king.

“Try to hold back until the black-cloaks are committed to destroying me,” warned the queen. “Any sight of the Alcean king might be enough to draw their attention away from me, and that will endanger the Red Swords.”

“Are you sure that you can handle eight of them by yourself?” worried the king.

“I am not alone,” smiled Tanya. “Balomar will not need to hold such a large illusion once the Red Swords charge. He can reinforce my shields if need be.”

The red-headed mage from Pog nodded, but the queen did not notice. Her attention was already focused on the black-cloaks in the column. Just as the black-cloaks drew abreast of the queen’s position, horns blew in the distance. The column immediately faltered as everyone focused their attention towards the vanguard. Queen Tanya slowly rode forward so that she emerged from Balamor’s illusion. Both of her hands came up immediately, and fire flew from her fingertips. Several of the black-cloaks were set on fire, and the attention of the nearby Federation soldiers turned towards the woman on the hillside. Several of the black-cloaks retaliated immediately with fireballs of their own, but the magical projectiles dissipated as they struck the queen’s shield. Tanya’s own spells began to encounter the shields of the black-cloaks, and she changed tactics. She sent a spell of wind roaring down the hillside, knocking down the fences along the road.